Meta has just added a new feature to its Threads platform called “ghost posts.” This lets text-based social network users post content that disappears after 24 hours. This feature allows you to express your raw thoughts and fresh ideas without any concerns about their permanence or polish.
Ghost posts automatically save themselves a day after you publish them so that people can have more real and natural conversations. Threads has over 400 million monthly users, and this is a new, low-pressure way for them to connect with their audience.
How Ghost Posts work on Threads
It’s easy to use the new ghost posts feature. You will now see a ghost icon in the composer interface when you go to make a new post on the Threads mobile app. To make your post disappear, just click on this icon. These posts are easy for other people to find in their feeds once they are published because they show up in a gray or dotted chat bubble.
Ghost posts are different from other posts in more ways than just how they look. The whole engagement model is made for private, one-on-one conversations. You are the only one who can see who liked your ghost post.
More importantly, if someone replies to your disappearing post, that reply won’t be seen by everyone. It goes straight to your Threads direct message inbox instead. This makes the space for discussion more private and helps people feel less pressure to perform in public.
The ghost posts will disappear from your profile and the public timeline after 24 hours. It won’t be gone for good, though. Meta saves the post, and you can still find it later in the “archived” section of your settings menu. This lets you keep a private record while keeping your public profile clean.
The strategy behind disappearing content
Meta’s decision to launch ghost posts is a smart move that builds on the success of temporary content on its other platforms, like Instagram Stories, and also learns from the mistakes of its competitors.
The main idea is to use a different kind of social sharing that isn’t as planned and is more spontaneous. Meta says the goal is to let users share “unfiltered thoughts and fresh takes without the pressure of permanence or polish.”
This plan seems to go against X (formerly Twitter), where people often think that everything they post will be a permanent part of their digital record. Threads wants to encourage more real and frequent conversations by lowering the risks of posting.
The psychology behind the idea is strong: studies indicate that the fear of missing out (FOMO) caused by temporary content can lead to much higher engagement rates.
The table below shows how Threads’ new feature compares to a similar feature from its main competitor.
Instagram Stories has more than 500 million daily users, which shows that this model works for people. Ghost posts bring this well-known and successful format to conversations that are based on text.
This new format gives brands and creators a chance to show a more human, behind-the-scenes side and to have time-sensitive conversations without flooding their followers’ permanent feeds.
